Dell Buyout Group Calls for Change in Voting Rules

New Offer Requires Abstentions, Which Currently Count as 'No's,' Not to Count at All in Tally

By

Sharon Terlep

Updated July 24, 2013 7:28 p.m. ET

The group trying to take Dell Inc. private is pressing the company to change how it counts shareholder votes to improve the odds of its buyout winning approval, and has offered to increase its bid by less than 1% as an incentive.

The move to renegotiate the vote rules midstream comes as the buyout group, Michael Dell and private-equity firm Silver Lake, have all but concluded they can't overcome entrenched opposition to their...